My Money Bloghttp://www.mymoneyblog.com
Personal Finance and Investing BlogFri, 09 Dec 2016 17:10:14 +0000en-UShourly138837250Amazon Store Card Review: 5% Back on Amazon Purchases with Primehttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-store-card-review.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-store-card-review.html#commentsFri, 09 Dec 2016 06:47:14 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48511A few readers have asked my opinions of the Amazon Store Card, a retail card issued by Synchrony Bank. You can only use it to buy things at Amazon.com – note the lack of a logo from Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express. This is a separate product from the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card (3% back at Amazon), which is a credit card issued by Chase that you can use anywhere that Visa is accepted. The key benefits of the Amazon Store Card are:

5% Back for Amazon Prime members. Amazon Prime members are automatically upgraded to the Amazon Prime Store Card and can earn 5% back on all Amazon.com purchases.

No annual fee.

There are also financing offers, that come with the card, similar to retailer cards from Home Depot or Lowe’s.

No interest if paid in full within 6 months on any purchase totaling $149 or more. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 6 months. Minimum monthly payments required.

No interest if paid in full within 12 months on any purchase totaling $599 or more. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 12 months. Minimum monthly payments required.

No interest if paid in full within 24 months on select items sold by Amazon.com. Items sold by third parties do not qualify. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 24 months. Minimum monthly payments required and may pay off purchase before end of promo period.

As with those home improvement offers, you have to watch out for the balloon interest payment at the end. If you don’t pay in full, you will get charged back-dated interest starting back from the purchase date and not the end of the promo period. This credit line charges a variable interest rate based on the Prime Rate. The current Variable purchase APR is 26.24%. Yikes.

Commentary. So why don’t I mention the Amazon Store Card all the time? My rule of thumb is that “hard credit check” can reliably net me at least $500 in value, usually from “try me! try me!” credit card incentives. It is very rare that I shop at any specific place enough to get $500 in savings. For example, it would take $10,000 of Amazon purchases at 5% back to net me $500 in cash back.

At the same time, 5% rotating category credit cards often have Amazon or a place that sells Amazon gift cards as an eligible category. Other cards like the American Express Blue Cash Preferred offer 6% back at grocery stores (that sell Amazon gift cards) or Chase Ink Business cards offer 5% back at office supply stores (that sell Amazon gift cards). Basically, there are other ways that I can stock up on Amazon gift cards at 5% off without having this card.

If you are a loyal Prime member that spends a lot of money at Amazon and prefer simplicity, then this card can make sense. The 5% off is automatic with your bill, and you get to easily track how much your Amazon habit is costing you. You’ll also want to be the type that either pays your bills in full or is great at navigating the fine print on financing opportunities. 26% APR interest is scary.

For a limited time, earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening*

First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation*

Enjoy Group 1 Boarding on American Airlines flights*

No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.

Receive 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights*

Double AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases*

Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year*

Annual fee is $95, waived for the first 12 months.

Note the following fine print:

OFFER AVAILABILITY
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi® / AAdvantage® card (other than a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.

To clarify, you can have one of both the consumer version of this card and the CitiBusiness business version under your name. The bonuses are also separate. You can get one consumer bonus every 24 months, and you can also get one business bonus every 24 months.

This card also makes you eligible for Reduced Mileage Awards, where you save up to 7,500 miles on roundtrip MileSAAver® awards to select destinations on American Airlines operated flights. Combine this with the 10% rebate on redeemed AAdvantage miles, and you can stretch your miles a lot further.

Bottom-line. This limited-time offer is a 20,000 miles increase from the previous 30,000 mile offer. The annual fee is also waived during the first year. Since you can only get one of these bonuses once every 24 months, it it is best to wait for such a bumped-up bonus. As with most of these co-branded cards, a lot of the potential value comes when you fly on American and use the free first checked bag benefit ($50 per person, roundtrip) and also when you redeem miles.

“Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer. This site may be compensated through the issuer’s Affiliate Program.”

Please note this a business card, designed specifically for businesses. Click here for the consumer version.

For a limited time, earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening*

First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation*

Enjoy Group 1 Boarding on American Airlines domestic flights*

No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.

Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines® purchases*

Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on purchases at telecommunications, car rental merchants and at gas stations*

Earn 1 AAdvantage® mile per $1 spent on other purchases.*

Annual fee is $95, waived for the first 12 months.

Earn AAdvantage® miles on Employee Purchases. Receive employee cards at no additional cost and get closer to your next adventure with every transaction.

Note the following fine print:

Card Offer: This card is not available if the business already has a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® card. Bonus miles are not available if you have had any CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® card opened or closed in the past 24 months.

To clarify, you can have one of both the consumer version of this card and this business version under your name. The bonuses are also separate. You can get one consumer bonus every 24 months, and you can also get one business bonus every 24 months.

There are some small differences between this and the consumer version of this card. This business card offers 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on purchases at telecommunications, car rental merchants and at gas stations. The consumer version does not. I also do not see any mention of the ability to earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back on this business card.

However, this business card does make you eligible for Reduced Mileage Awards, where you save up to 7,500 miles on roundtrip MileSAAver® awards to select destinations on American Airlines operated flights.

Business card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Any individual can be a small business. Perhaps you sell items on eBay, Craiglist, or Etsy. Maybe you do some graphic design, web design, freelancing and/or consulting. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

Bottom-line. The limited-time offer for this business card includes a higher 50,000 mile bonus and the annual fee is also waived during the first year. Since you can only get one of these bonuses once every 24 months, it it is best to wait for such a bumped-up bonus. As with most of these co-branded cards, a lot of the potential value comes when you fly on American and use the free first checked bag benefit ($50 per person, roundtrip) and also when you redeem miles.

“Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer. This site may be compensated through the issuer’s Affiliate Program.”

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/citibusiness-american-airlines-aadvantage-mastercard-review.html/feed548532ThanksAgain: 200 Bonus Points Promo Link, Keep Multiple Miles Accounts From Expiringhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/thanksagain-promo-code.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/thanksagain-promo-code.html#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 07:14:13 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48480Updated with another 100 point link. ThanksAgain is a smartphone app for frequent travelers that gives you points for buying things inside of airports. You link up your credit card number and then automatically earn miles at participating merchants when you shop at them. You don’t need to remember to show membership cards, etc.

Through this Hilton Honors-branded link, scroll down to the bottom and see that you can get 100 Hilton Honors points if you sign up before 12/31/16.

Sign up and earn 100 bonus points just for enrolling! (Enrollment bonus is valid through 12/31/16).

Added: Reader KP comments that after you sign up you should visit this link for a 1-question survey that will land you another 100 points. Easy-peasy.

To be more specific, you get 100 ThanksAgain points, which can be converted to a variety of frequent flier mile and/or hotel loyalty points programs. Here is the list along with conversion ratios. The neat feature is that you can convert as little as 10 points, meaning you can create “partner activity” on a variety of programs and potentially keep your points from otherwise expiring.

Aeromexico Club Premier® x 0.5 pts

Alaska Mileage Plan™ x 0.5 pts

American AAdvantage®x 0.5 pts

Fiesta Rewards® x 1.0 pts

Frontier EarlyReturns® x 0.5 pts

Hilton HHonors® x 1.0 pts

JetBlue TrueBlue® x 0.5 pts

Southwest Rapid Rewards® x 0.5 pts

United MileagePlus® x 0.5 pts

In other words, your 100 ThanksAgain points can be converted to 5 Alaska Mileage Plan miles, 5 American AAdvantage miles, 10 Hilton points, 5 JetBlue points, 5 Southwest RR points, 5 United miles, and so on. Alternatively, you could save your points for later and as long as this feature remains (it might not), keep doling them out over time to keep your accounts active.

There is a prompt for a promo code on the sign-up form, but a promo code is not required for these 100 points. I just signed up using the “Register” link on the top right corner of the page, and immediately after signing up and logging in for the first time, I saw my free 100 bonus points:

I then promptly linked up my (almost inactive) Alaska Airlines account and transferred over 10 points = 5 Alaska Air miles. According to the website, they should arrive in 7 days. Easy.

Overall, signing up for ThanksAgain and linking up a credit card appears to be no-lose proposition. It’s free. You don’t need to change any of your spending habits. If you do end up buying an overpriced Burger King Whopper while catching a flight, you’ll automatically get a few points that can delay the expiration of your frequent flier miles. The hardest part for me will be that I keep using different credit cards all the time.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/thanksagain-promo-code.html/feed348480How To Stop Mailed Paper Catalogs and Other Junk Mailhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/how-to-stop-mailed-paper-catalogs-junk-mail.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/how-to-stop-mailed-paper-catalogs-junk-mail.html#commentsTue, 06 Dec 2016 06:22:38 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48456As a follow-up to how to stop balance transfer checks, here’s all I know about stopping unwanted paper catalogs. Direct mail catalogs are like weeds. You unsubscribe from a bunch of them, but then later you buy someone a cast iron skillet and then – poof! – you get Sur La Table catalogs. I don’t need three different kitchen tools to remove strawberry stems, trim brussels sprouts, or cut grapes in half. I have a paring knife and opposable thumbs!

Unfortunately, there is no standardized way to unsubscribe from all or specific catalogs. Here’s what is available:

Catalog Choice. This appears to be the most up-to-date and thorough website, although you’ll have to do most of the work. Run as a non-profit that is unaffiliated with the direct marketing industry, CatalogChoice.org serves as a database that helps guide you on how to manually unsubscribe from various catalogs. They used to offer something call the Mail Stop Envelope that let you mail them the address labels from your unwanted catalogs, but they discontinued the service. They also used to have an app called Mail Stop Mobile, but that is also gone. Sigh.

National Do Not Mail List. You can add your mailing address to the National Do Not Mail List run by DirectMail.com here.

We can use our vast direct marketing expertise to get your name off of those lists. As direct marketers ourselves, we know that mail-order companies don’t want to waste their money sending mail to people who don’t want to receive it.

DMAChoice.org. This is the big one. According to their website, “DMAChoice.org is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail.” However, the Consumerist warns us that Direct Marketing Association’s Opt Out Website Is A Joke and may not fulfill its promises. While writing this post, their website didn’t even load half the time. It’s still worth a shot.

Other Direct Mail lists. Other direct mail lists that you can opt out of include ValPak and RedPlum Mail.

Paper Karma app. I discovered Paper Karma a couple years ago, but I never could really tell if it worked or not since it takes months for catalogs to actually stop coming. The app store reviews indicate hit or miss success as well. Recently, I received reports that new users were being asked to pay $20 per year. That’s too bad as the fact that you just take a smartphone picture of the address label makes it so appealing. I just snapped another address label picture using their app (December 2016) and it went through without asking me to pay, but perhaps I am in some sort of grandfathered free account (or they give out a certain number of freebies?). If you can get it to work for free, this may also be worth the effort.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/how-to-stop-mailed-paper-catalogs-junk-mail.html/feed1048456How To Stop Balance Transfer Checks from Chase, Citibank, Capital One, Etc.http://www.mymoneyblog.com/stop-balance-transfer-checks-chase-citi-capital-one.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/stop-balance-transfer-checks-chase-citi-capital-one.html#commentsMon, 05 Dec 2016 07:37:55 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48175‘Tis the season for a mailbox full of catalogs and credit card balance transfer checks. (Hint: There is a connection between the two.) If you want these “access” checks to stop, you just have to ask. You simply call them up (see back of credit card) or go online into their Live Chat or Secure Message systems and ask them.

In the past, I didn’t mind the checks as I wanted the opportunity to get money at 0% APR with no balance transfer fee. However, given the current low interest rates and the fact that nearly all of them have balance transfer fees, I’d rather just have less paper to shred. The wording isn’t particularly important, but you can just copy and paste this if you’d like:

Dear Credit Card Issuer,

I am writing to request that balance transfer and/or purchase access checks no longer be sent to me via mail. I would like for this preference to be applied across all of my credit card accounts.

Thank you,

Your Customer

Here are my successful results after online inquiries to Capital One, Chase, and Citibank. I didn’t have to call anyone.

Citibank. Via their Secure Message system:

Chase. Via their Secure Message system:

Capital One. I did this one via live chat. In retrospect, rather than waiting around for all the back and forth, it was probably easier to just send off a secure message and wait for the confirmation reply. Below is an excerpt of the chat.

If you don’t want any unsolicited offers for new credit cards sent to you, you can also enroll at OptOutPrescreen.com. This is not the same situation as above, because if you already have a relationship they can send you junk until you opt out.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/stop-balance-transfer-checks-chase-citi-capital-one.html/feed948175Amazon $5 off $15 of Print Books Couponhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-books-coupon.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-books-coupon.html#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2016 22:25:59 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48430Amazon has a new promotional code GIFTBOOK that gets you $5 off any books purchase of $15 or more. Must be print books (can be multiple), shipped and sold by Amazon. Offer expires Sunday night at December 4, 2016 at 11:59 PM Pacific. Here are four recent books on my to-read list that you may consider as gifts or for yourself (I bought one of these with this coupon):

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. Short and very easy to read. Teaches the merits of living below your means and investing the rest for the future.

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. A good starter book on breaking out of the earn-spend cycle and regaining control of your life. A first step down the path to early or semi-retirement.

Finally, I’m just going to slip this in here because it’s probably not worth a separate post… This 3-pack of Amazon Anytime Gift Cards are currently on sale for $3. There is also a promotion on the page where you get $2 promo credit for each Anytime Gift Card activated for $10 or more. So buy the 3-pack, activate all three for $10 each, and get $6 in promo credits. You’ve now spent $33 and gotten $36 in Amazon credit.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-books-coupon.html/feed548430Target 10% Off Gift Cards on Sunday, December 4th, 2016http://www.mymoneyblog.com/target-10-off-gift-cards.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/target-10-off-gift-cards.html#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2016 07:00:36 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48420Target is planning to offer 10% off Target Gift Cards on Sunday, December 4th. This was announced in a Target press release.

Popular promotions from 2015 will return, including 10 Days of Deals, which will feature a distinct offer each day for 10 days. Target also will extend its free shipping promotion by a full week this year, waiving the shipping fee for all digital orders from Oct. 25 through Jan. 1, 2017. Cartwheel, Target’s digital savings app, is bringing back popular holiday deals, including 50 percent off one toy per day between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, and on Dec. 4, guests will save 10 percent on Target GiftCards. Guests also will save with free returns and an extended Price Match Guarantee, which enables them to price match any purchase made Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, excluding Thanksgiving through Cyber Week.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/target-10-off-gift-cards.html/feed348420Free Limited-Edition Gund Teddy Bear with $100 Amazon Gift Cardhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/free-gund-teddy-bear-amazon-gift-card.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/free-gund-teddy-bear-amazon-gift-card.html#respondThu, 01 Dec 2016 19:52:54 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48398Each year, Amazon teams up with Gund to create a limited-edition teddy bear. Gund is known for their stuffed animals and they do everything from Elmo to Curious George to Boo the Dog.

Amazon Prime customers can now get a free 10″ 2016 Gund Teddy Bear with the purchase of $100 Amazon gift card. It’s a nice little bonus that you can either give them together or just keep the gift card and give the teddy bear to a child. If it goes out of stock now, it is also available in $150, $200, and $250 gift cards. You can also check back later as they usually come back in stock a few times. However they do eventually sell out every year.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/free-gund-teddy-bear-amazon-gift-card.html/feed048398DirecTV Now Review + Free Apple TV or Fire TV Stick Promotionshttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/directv-now-review-promotions.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/directv-now-review-promotions.html#commentsThu, 01 Dec 2016 07:00:07 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48381Attention cord-cutters! DirecTV has gone live with their new streaming TV service called DirecTV Now. This join existing competitors Sling TV and Playstation VUE. Here’a an image that breaks down the $35/$50/$60/$70 per month tiers (click to enlarge). HBO and Cinemax can be added on for $5 a month each. Below are a list of current promotions as well as brief pros and cons.

Current Promotions.

Free 7-day trial for everyone. Credit card is required, they will auto-bill you at the end of the 7 days.

“Go Big” Package is $35 a month for a limited time. Regular price is $60 a month. Here is their exact wording on future pricing: “Customers who sign up for this offer will continue to enjoy this special price for as long as you keep the package, subject only to future reasonable programming price increases applicable to all packages.”

Free 4th-gen Apple TV ($149 retail) with 3 months pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. You’d basically be paying $105 for 3 months of service and an Apple TV.

Competitive price, more niche channels. The channel line-up does differ from Sling and VUE – check this CNET table for a specific network. DirecTV in general includes more niche channels in its packages.

Cancel anytime. You can cancel or pause your subscription online without calling in.

AT&T Wireless customers get free app streaming that won’t use up mobile data limits. This is a handy feature if you have AT&T service already, but such favorable treatment is not good for net neutrality.

Cons.

Limited local network broadcasts. Depending on where you live, you may not get live local network broadcasts from ABC, FOX, or NBC. However, you can see some network shows on demand the next day. CBS is not included anywhere.

No DVR capabilities. You can’t pause live TV or record anything. DVR features are supposed to arrive “sometime in 2017”. To mitigate this, DirecTV has added in video on demand from many networks after a 72-hour delay. In other words, you can still watch a bunch of shows later on at your convenience, but not everything.

Sling TV has a basic $20 a month level. Sling TV’s lowest tier includes 30 of the more popular cable networks (ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, Food Network, etc) but is only $20 a month. The lowest tier for DirecTV Now is $35 a month.

DirecTV Now limits you to two simultaneous streams on different devices (ex. TV + iPad). Sling and Playstation limit you to three simultaneous streams. This may or may not affect you.

Compatibility. Works with the following for now. Notably, Roku boxes and Samsung Smart TVs are not yet compatible.

Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

Android mobile devices and tablets

iPhone, iPad and Apple TV

Chromecast (Android at launch; iOS in 2017)

Google Cast-enabled LeEco ecotvs and VIZIO SmartCast Displays

Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari web browsers

Commentary. A little preview of the future. DirecTV differentiates itself with volume, offering more channels than streaming competitors. The current promotions basically get you a free streaming unit from either Apple or Amazon. The free data allotment for AT&T customers is unique and ideal for those who watch TV away from WiFi. (AT&T now owns DirecTV.) If I’m going to cut the cord, $35 a month is probably close to the max I’d pay for live content given I’m likely also paying for NetFlix. Personally, the lack of DVR capabilities continues to be a deal-breaker for me.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/directv-now-review-promotions.html/feed548381When “Saving Money” Doesn’t Actually Grow Your Savings Account…http://www.mymoneyblog.com/saving-vs-savings.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/saving-vs-savings.html#respondWed, 30 Nov 2016 07:48:27 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48326This time of year, we are surrounded by discounts. 40% off here. 80% off there. I always wonder to myself, does it really make any difference? If you save $35 on a $50 sweater, you feel good that you got a bargain. But where does that “savings” go? Are you actually any richer? Don’t you just go out and buy more stuff? Does chasing all these sales actually help or hurt your net worth?

What if, every time you bought something with a discount and think “Oh I totally needed that anyway and I saved $20!”, you immediately transferred $20 into a savings account. That way, you will have actually put $20 aside instead of the vague notion of “I saved $20”. Eventually, you can invest that money into productive assets like stocks or a house downpayment. This leads to my brainstorming question…

What is the easiest way to transfer money into a savings account “piggy bank”?

Digit Savings Text Bot. This is my current favorite. Once you have it all set up, I just text Digit the words “save 6 bucks” and it will move $6 from my linked checking account into my Digit savings account. You can even play around with the language, you know, if you’re a goofball like me. Here’s a screenshot:

You don’t even technically need a smartphone or a cellular data plan for this app to work, just SMS text capability. I can also have it work on my laptop through my Apple Messages app. See my Digit review for more details on their auto-saving feature.

Dobot (“Dough-bot”) is another similar saving bot app that I am trying out right now, and they are offering a $5 new user bonus (If you get $5, I get $5 too). However, everything is done in-app and not through text.

Online Bank App. Most online banks have smartphone apps, and even better is the fact that most will now let me log in using my fingerprint. I tested out a $5 transfer from my checking to savings account using the Ally Bank app and I counted 13 taps total. Here’s a quick screenshot.

Using the bank app was certainly not difficult, but texting Digit simply felt more natural. Keep in mind that you can have unlimited transfers from Ally checking to savings, but per federal bank regulations, you can only make 6 outgoing transfers per month from any bank savings account.

Pen and paper. Write your discount savings in a notebook or scrap of paper, and then add them up later at the end of the day, week, or month and initiate a transfer. Seems simple enough, but in the real world that delay would mean that I wouldn’t do it.

Siri, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa? Perhaps the easiest way would be to just say “Hey Scary AI Robot, send $5 into savings for me” and it would transfer from my checking to savings. You’d have to add in some security firewalls so the transfers only go between internal bank accounts (and not some hacker’s bank account). I don’t know of any actual setups that would do this, but I did see that Alexa already has some limited integration with Capital One.

Promotion back again starting 11/29. A recent study found that free pizza was a better motivator than cash. How about some free coffee?

Starbucks is again offering a free $10 bonus Starbucks eGift card if you use the Starbucks smartphone app to load a minimum $10 onto your Starbucks Card using Visa Checkout as your payment method. Details:

Download the Starbucks® app and create a Starbucks Rewards™ account.
Existing Starbucks® app users: Simply go to the “Pay” section of the app to get started.
Reload $10+ in the Starbucks® app with Visa Checkout (sign in/sign up link below).
Receive your $10 Starbucks® eGift within 1 day courtesy of Visa Checkout.

Valid between 11/29/16 and 12/22/16, or while supplies last. Usually if they run out of free codes, they will take down the offer page. However, if you’re interested I’d take advantage of this offer as soon as possible.

Qualifying customers will see the $10 Bonus Load in the form of an emailed Starbucks eGift card within 24 hours. (Update: I got my $10 bonus within 8 hours.) You will not see any mention on your initial $10 load receipt. You can check which Visa card is linked to your Visa Checkout by going through the “Add card with Visa Checkout” button.

Our next re-branded day is Giving Tuesday, which this year falls on November 29th, 2016. After you’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and then survived Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, the focus is back on helping others less fortunate than you. You optimize your earning and your spending, now here’s some final tips to optimize the positive impact of your charitable giving.

Check if your employer will match the charitable donations of employees. If you’re not sure, try this lookup tool from DoubleTheDonation. Most of these programs don’t require you to actually give on a specific day, but you may want to start the process today so you don’t forget in the holiday rush.

PayPal 1% Donation Match + Waived Transaction Fees. From 11/29 through 12/31/16, PayPal will add 1% to donations that you make through the PayPal Giving Fund. In addition, PayPal will not charge any transaction fees to you or the charity itself (which is not true of most other charity payment networks). The minimum donation is $10.

You must use your PayPal account. As far as I can tell, you can link up any rewards credit card of your choice and use that as the funding source. Your donation will technically be given to the PayPal Giving Fund, an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and then disbursed to your selected nonprofit. It will still be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Other donation portals do this re-routing as well.

The only catch is that the charity has to participate in their PayPal Giving Fund, so it may not include your charity of choice.

Having trouble deciding where to give? Here are some charity comparison sites that will help you pick where to send your help.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/giving-tuesday-matching-donations.html/feed043441Target 15% Off Everything 11/27 and 11/28, Online & In-Storehttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/target-cyber-monday.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/target-cyber-monday.html#respondSun, 27 Nov 2016 21:45:04 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48341Target is offering a flat 15% off your entire purchase on Sunday 11/27 and Monday 11/28, both online at Target.com and in-store. This is a nice and easy way to save some money on your everyday shopping at Target, and it stacks with the 5% off with Target REDCard.

Alternatively, you can try to buy something specific that rarely goes on sale otherwise. Examples of eligible items include Apple iPads, Apple Watch, Beats headphones, and Kitchenaid appliances. There restrictions include no gift cards and no prepaid phone cards (though you can get 10% off select phone cards as part of a separate ongoing sale):

Finally, if you shop online, you can use a cashback shopping portal. Many offer new customers bonuses, including eBates ($10 bonus), TopCashBack ($10 bonus, you see it after entering e-mail), and BeFrugal ($10 bonus). I have cashed out of all of these before.

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. Short and very easy to read. Teaches the merits of living below your means and investing the rest for the future.

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. A good starter book on breaking out of the earn-spend cycle and regaining control of your life. A first step down the path to early or semi-retirement.

Free Apple iPhone 7 32GB, or Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB, or LG V20 64GB with trade-in. Free when you trade in a qualifying device with T-Mobile ONE or Simple Choice Unlimited, after 24 monthly bill credits. This deal is available until Sun., Nov. 27 at 11:59pm PT. Details on Apple iPhone 7 qualified trade-in devices here.

Get $200 for every line you switch to T-Mobile (up to $2400) with trade-in. For a limited time, when you switch a number to T-Mobile with T-Mobile ONE, we’ll give you $200 per line to spend however you want on a prepaid Mastercard. Valid 11/24-12/31/16.

Free hour of In-Flight Wi-Fi for Everyone – even AT&T, Verizon & Sprint Customers. Starting today through Sat., Nov. 26, the Un-carrier is giving everyone a free hour of Wi-Fi for their smartphone on Gogo-equipped domestic flights. Now, everyone can enjoy one of the perks T-Mobile customers already enjoy during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

If you prefer to set up your service with T-Mobile over the phone, you can call 855-407-3034 and ask for this offer.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/t-mobile-black-friday.html/feed148246Barnes & Noble Black Friday Weekend: 30% Off Any One Itemhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/barnes-noble-black-friday.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/barnes-noble-black-friday.html#respondThu, 24 Nov 2016 08:52:47 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48328Barnes & Noble is offering 30% off any one item with coupon code BNBFRIDAY16. Offer is also valid in-store with Store Coupon #30164100000. For each customer, this coupon can be redeemed only once at any Barnes & Noble retail store or only once per billing address online. Valid from 11/24 to 11/27 (technically until November 28, 2016 at 2:59am ET). The discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in the order.

This year, Small Business Saturday will be on November 26th, 2016. Although it was started in 2010 by American Express on the Saturday after Thankgsiving, since 2011 this day has been officially recognized by Congress.

As was the case last year, there will be no flat statement credits in 2016 for shopping at a small business. Instead, American Express is offering double points or double cash back through the end of 2016 for shopping at small businesses from now until December 31st, 2016. You must register here first. Find local, participating small businesses on their Shop Small map.

The 2X promotion works these various flavors of American Express. When you use your enrolled Card at small businesses:

Schwab Investor cards will earn an additional 1.5% cash back per dollar spent.

Rewards cap applies; 2X Rewards valid on up to $100,000 in purchases per enrolled consumer card and $250,000 in purchases per enrolled business card.

American Express has also been adding a lot of new offers – including local small businesses! – to their AmEX Special Offers. Log into your account online and see what you have targeted in your area. You may also see 10% off your cable or Satellite TV bill, 10% off your cellular phone bill, $25 off Verizon Wireless, $20 off $100 at Staples.com, or double/triple points at merchants like Amazon, Target, and Home Depot.

If you have a small business and accept American Express but aren’t shown on on their Shop Small map, here’s how to get yourself added:

Please contact the Shop Small Team at 1-800-235-8916, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, EST and have your federal tax ID handy. We look forward to hearing from you!

Participating small businesses can also sign up for additional marketing materials here.

This Fortune article discusses the positive impact that American Express’s statement credits from 2010-2014 had on small businesses after the 2009 recession. It felt good that this promotion supported independent retailers, whereas most promotions go towards the big chains. Small Business Saturday was also a clever way for American Express to tell the public that they’ve increased acceptance of their cards at small businesses, which has always been their relative weak spot due to their slightly higher fees for the merchant.

—

Original post from Small Business Saturday 2014:

American Express has confirmed that they will bring back Small Business Saturday (SBS) on Saturday, November 29th, 2014 – two days after Thanksgiving. The significant change this year is that now it is up to three separate $10 statement credits, for a total of up to $30 per eligible card. Details:

Limit three (3) $10 statement credits per eligible American Express Card. To receive the offer, Card Members must register any eligible American Express Card for this offer. Corporate Cards and all prepaid Card products (other than American Express Serve® and Bluebird®) are not eligible.

The number of registrations is limited. Registration opens at 12:00 A.M. MST (“Mountain Standard Time”) on Nov 16, 2014 and will continue until 11:59 P.M. MST on Nov 29, 2014, unless the registration limit is reached sooner.

To receive the $10 statement credit, the Card Member must use his or her registered Card to spend $10 or more in a single, in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location on Saturday, Nov 29, 2014.

Remember that authorized users of eligible cards are also eligible for this promotion. Given that it is three separate $10 credits per card, it’ll make your live easier if you plan out your purchases ahead of time. Here’s my list:

Local grocery stores. There’s one where I can find the sunflower seed butter for my kid, and the one with the good raw lasagna.

Local restaurants and coffee shops. Just make sure they take AmEx!

Local doggie bakery. Usually too pricey for me, but a good place for gifts!

Local hardware stores. These are a dying breed, but there are still some non-Home Depot small business hardware stores in my area.

Local bookstore. Another rarity, but there happens to be one next to a local restaurant we like!

If they sell gift certificates, buy them! If you only want to spend $10, you can say those can make good stocking stuffers. If you would otherwise buy a $25 certificate for a gift, hey that’s still 40% off what you would have paid. Also don’t be shy about using more than one card at a place. AmEx is paying those $10 credits, not them, so the merchants should still appreciate your patronage.

If you don’t have anything specific in mind, even gift cards to a local non-chain restaurant, grocer, hardware store, or clothing boutique count.

In all previous years, additional authorized user cards have been eligible for their own $10 credit. (Authorized user cards with AmEx get their own unique card number.) I see nothing that changes that in this year’s rules. Many American Express cards offer additional cards for free to authorized users like your spouse, partner, or older children.

Most prepaid cards are not eligible, but American Express Bluebird and Serve cards are eligible. Given that these cards are free to obtain (officially you can only have one or the other, though) this is another path to an additional free $30 of small business patronage in 2014.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/free-25-from-american-express-small-busniess-saturday.html/feed1809738Amazon $25 off $75 on Household Essentialshttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-household-essentials-promotions.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-household-essentials-promotions.html#respondWed, 23 Nov 2016 06:44:57 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48287Amazon is offering a $25 off $75 promotion when you buy $75 in total items from on their Holiday Essentials list. Here are all of the eligible items sorted by category.

Sample deals. Here are a couple of quick, simplified scenarios to work out if the deal is generally worth it. I picked these two products at random out of the items that I had a rough idea of what they should cost.

Larabar Gluten Free Snack Bar, 1.7 oz Bars, 16 Count is on the list and costs $16.38. If I buy 5 boxes to reach $75, my total is $81.90 – $25 off = $56.90 net. At 80 bars, this works out to $0.71 per bar, which is a pretty good price. Here’s a screenshot of the $25 off:

24-pack of Energizer MAX AA batteries is on the list and costs $9.79. If I buy 9 packs to reach $75, the total becomes $88.11 – $25 off = $63.11 net. That ends up at $0.29 per battery, which is a good price as far as Energizer MAX batteries go. I could certainly buy a cheaper generic brand for a little less (AmazonBasics at $0.24 per battery). I have found that Energizer MAX batteries really do leak less than both Duracell and Costco Kirkland brands.

Basically, if you would buy these items otherwise, this promotion can save you some money by mixing and matching products. The prices don’t appear to be hiked up just to be taken back down. You do have to pick from the items listed on the page, in their listed quantity. They should already be set as such, but they must also be sold and shipped by Amazon. You should see the $25 off on your checkout page before committing to purchase.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-household-essentials-promotions.html/feed048287Ally Bank CD Maturity Review: Phone and Online Redemptionshttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/ally-bank-cd-maturity-redemption-review.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/ally-bank-cd-maturity-redemption-review.html#commentsTue, 22 Nov 2016 04:52:09 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=39235Updated with online maturity information and screenshots. If you have money in a bank certificate of deposit (CD), you should be aware that most of them will renew automatically for the same term length upon maturity. That means if you don’t specifically tell them otherwise, your 5-year CD will roll over for another 5 years if you’re caught snoozing during the grace period. Different banks set different grace period lengths and renewal instructions; the best ones in my opinion let you set the decision ahead of time (i.e. Pentagon Federal Credit Union).

I bring this up again because I have a few Ally Bank CDs coming up for renewal. Here’s a quick review of the process for other Ally Bank account holders. First, here is the official policy taken from their website:

What happens to my CD at maturity?
You’ll have a 10-day grace period starting on your maturity date to:

Change the term
Make additional deposits or withdraw funds
Close the CD

If you don’t make changes to your CD by phone or in online banking by the end of the 10-day grace period, it will automatically renew into the same term. To provide renewal instructions in online banking:

Log in to your account
Go to the Main Menu , then Manage CDs
Select Make Changes

Here’s the timeline.

Roughly 30 days before maturity. If you have chosen paperless documents, you’ll receive a somewhat vague e-mail from Ally Bank with the subject line “You have new correspondence in online banking.” This is actually your official “Certificate of Deposit Maturity Notice”, so don’t overlook it! If you have paper statements, you’ll get a separate letter from Ally via snail mail.

Between 30 days before maturity to 10 days after maturity. If you want anything besides an auto-renewal of the same term at current market rates, then you must notify the either by phone at 1-877-247-ALLY (2559) or online. (Less than 2 years ago, there was no online option.) Here’s a screenshot of where I clicked after reaching my CD page (click to enlarge).

If you call them, they’ll ask you a bunch of identity verification questions, much more than other phone calls. You can also ask if they still offer a Loyalty Bonus where you’ll get an extra 0.05% APY if you renew your CD. I was not shown any such offer when renewing online. (The Ally Ten Day Best Rate Guarantee also applies.) If you want to make a withdrawal or other changes, they’ll ask you why. Nothing high pressure, but they’ll softly encourage you to renew.

I decided to withdraw my funds this time. If you have multiple CDs like I do (for minimizing penalties in case of early redemption), they will have to read you the details and disclosures for each one. You can just skip over it if you do it online. I do my daily banking at Ally so I just swept it into one of my online savings accounts while I decide what to do with it. Here’s a screenshot:

Remember that the phone wait time is shown live on the top of their main website (I only call if it is around a minute). Closing two CDs over the phone took about 15 minutes. Closing three CDs online took under 5 minutes. I’m glad they added the online option, it was much faster.

Starting December 1, 2016, all Plans that are not Mad Plans will not renew at the end of their billing cycle. Members can change to any of the currently offered plans from our website. Phone Swaps will be free starting Wednesday (11/23/16) until further notice.

Realistically, this was always the type of deal that was not going to last forever, and hopefully if you participated you got good value out of it. I got over a year of Sprint-based cellular service with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text, and 1 GB of data for an total cost of $10 (technically the $10 is still in my account). The party is winding down… in the meantime I recommend taking the following precautions:

Know that your plans can and will be discontinued with little or no notice. Don’t buy an expensive phone just to switch to R+. Don’t pay for their lifetime Member+ plan. To put it simply, commit as little money as possible. Have a plan to port your number elsewhere; Ting can use Sprint or there are many free or $1 SIM cards out there on GSM networks.

—

September 2016 update. Ringplus updated their Terms of Service effective 9/6/2016 that greatly expanded their ability to terminate your service at their discretion. In particular, please note the following new terms:

20. If your talk, text or data usage exceeds your total voice, text or data usage for any prior billing cycle in the immediately prior 6 months by 50%, RingPlus may, in its sole discretion and with notice, expire, suspend, terminate or downgrade your Service. You may appeal such decisions to the Ethical Committee in the RingPlus Social forum at https://social.ringplus.net. In cases involving expiration of accounts, you will be given 7 days to port-out to preserve your phone number.

22. If your talk, text or data usage exceeds the average use of talk, text or data by all RingPlus Members, RingPlus may, in its sole discretion and with notice, expire, suspend, terminate or downgrade your Service. You may appeal such decisions to the Ethical Committee in the RingPlus Social forum at https://social.ringplus.net. In cases involving expiration of accounts, you will be given 7 days to port-out to preserve your phone number.

I get it. Some RingPlus users are gobbling up many gigabytes of free data each month and are costing them big bucks. However, these news rules are like allowing the government a webcam in your house “to catch the bad guys”. Customers should not have to give R+ such wide-ranging powers in order to get rid of a few abusers. For example, T-Mobile simply throttles their unlimited data once you exceed the usage of 97% of users (~27 GB per month). The new terms are so broad that they constitute the ability to terminate their most unprofitable customers at any time, without notice, even after they may have already committed upfront deposits.

It may be unlikely they will enforce these rules to the extent allowable, but it is still scary and unnecessary that they have added the capability (and just promise not to use it). Let me repeat: I would not rely up RingPlus service for serious needs. Have a backup plan. Enjoy it while it lasts, but don’t commit big bucks upfront. It’s cheap, and it may go on for months or even another year. However, I do expect more restrictions to come over time, as their growth slows and they start needing to make a profit. If you are attached to your phone number, be ready to port out in 7 days.

—

March 2016 update. It has been six months and I have been enjoying my free cell phone service from RingPlus with no hassles or unexpected charges. I still don’t use it for my primary business/personal line, but at this point I’d be comfortable using it as a kids’ or grandparents’ low-usage line. It’s tough to beat $0 a month (not even taxes!). Some quick points for prospective new customers:

They are still rolling out new plans all the time. As of today, a new member can still get 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, and 1000 mb of data for $0 a month ongoing with a one-time $25 upfront balance top-up. I still have my initial $10 top-up sitting in my account. Be sure to read the rules.

Starting April 17th, you can no longer buy a new prepaid phone and activate it on RingPlus. Up until now, you could for example buy a $50 Moto E meant for Boost Mobile but activate it on RingPlus instead with no problems (assuming it was brand new and had never been activated on Boost Mobile). The Moto E is a very decent phone for fifty bucks. But starting April 17th, Sprint won’t allow this anymore. The good news is that if you activate before that date, Sprint has agreed not to retroactively kick phones out. If interested, get yours before the deadline! Details here.

In general, the customer service is spread quite thin, so you should be willing to navigate their forums for some self-directed help.

—

July 2015 Original post:

RingPlus is a Sprint MVNO that offers cheap cellular phone plans, starting at… $0. You can bring over an off-contract Sprint phone (check eligibility) or you can buy one from them (slightly more expensive that on secondary market). They make money partially from ads – ads play whenever you call someone instead of the normal ringing. When your friend picks up, the ad stops immediately. You also pay for any overages past your free allotment. There are no contracts and no activation fees.

Recently, Ringplus has been aggressively courting new customers with limited-time plans. RingPlus free plans are usually only open a for a limited window, and then it closes for a while. But recently, their plans have been getting more generous, with special super-generous plans available for a few hours only. These have very little notice, but it’s worth checking their site daily if you are very interested. For example, I was able to jump on a plan with 1000 min, 1000 text, and 1000 mb every month for free. The fine print states that I must keep a non-zero balance, otherwise I will be charged a $10 top-up that will apply to any future overages.

Here are all their current plans and details on promo plans. Be sure to read the whole page for the rules for each specific plan. If you miss one round, be on the lookout for future phases. The most important thing is to find an eligible phone and activate it during the window. It can be an ancient flip phone from Virgin Mobile (Sprint MVNO). Later, you can swap the phone out for 99 cents and keep the free plan.

You will need a credit card on file, although some of their plans don’t even require a credit card (but come with much fewer free minutes). No additional activation fee. Not even additional taxes are due on the zero plans (taxes are due on top-ups). Here’s a screenshot of their current plans, but again they change daily.

Here’s a screenshot of my dashboard that tracks your usage:

Are there any catches?

You have to sign up for their free plans during certain availability windows. That means you’ll need the ESN of an eligible off-contract Sprint phone waiting around, ready to go. If you’re like me, you have to resort to asking all your friends if they have any old Sprint phones you can have.

In the past, RingPlus has discontinued their free plans without much notice if they can’t line up enough advertisers in your calling area. That would be annoying, especially if you invested good money into a Sprint phone. Have a backup plan.

Honestly, I don’t know if giving away this much free talk and data is a viable business model. They are definitely trying to grow customer base and sacrifice short-term profitability. Again, know that they may cease operations with little or no notice. Plan ahead as to how you would quickly port your number to another cheap service.

If your phone is not eligible, then they may de-activate your plan in the future, even if you manage to activate it initially.

You must maintain activity on your plan. If you don’t make a call every 60 days (may differ by plan), they will de-activate your account and you’ll have to pay a fee to re-activate.

If you do sign up and decide to link your credit card, know that overages cost 2 cents per text, minute, or MB. MMS picture messages are at an additional cost (4 cents each). Roaming is available, but those overages are much more expensive. I would disable roaming completely on your phone to avoid such surcharges.

In case you were wondering, this is not a VoIP-only service like FreedomPop as normal calls use the Sprint voice network. However, free WiFi calling is an option so you can save your minutes.

Bottom line. You could save a lot of money on RingPlus free/cheap plans if you are willing to devote some sweat equity into figuring it all out. I currently use them for my non-critical, light-usage phone lines without issue. However, I would NOT be surprised if they discontinued or change the rules of their plans very quickly, maybe even without any notice. Enjoy it while it lasts, but have a backup plan.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/ringplus-basic-free-cellular-phone-service.html/feed3741144Andrews Federal Credit Union 84-Month Certificate at 3.01% APY (Black Friday Deal)http://www.mymoneyblog.com/andrews-federal-credit-union-certificiate-deal.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/andrews-federal-credit-union-certificiate-deal.html#commentsMon, 21 Nov 2016 08:42:29 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48252Andrews Federal Credit Union is offering the following special Black Friday certificate rates. They must be funded by 11/30/16. Update: According to multiple accounts, this promotion has been extended to accounts funded by 12/31/16. Please verify yourself as the website has not been changed as of this writing. Thanks to Rudi for heads up.

3-month Share Certificate at 3.01% APY

18-month Share Certificate at 1.81% APY/li>

84-month Share Certificate at 3.01% APY

(There is also a 6-month Share Certificate at 3% APY with $15,000 maximum balance, viewable only to existing members.)

For most people, the best deal is the 84-month 3.01% APY certificate because the early withdrawal penalty is a rather modest 180-days of interest. The minimum opening deposit is $1,000. No maximum balance cap. I created a spreadsheet to calculate the effective interest rate if you withdraw early, and here are the results visually:

If you withdraw after one year, you’re already at 1.50% APY. After 2 years, you’ll have earned 2.25% APY. After 3 years, you’ll have earned 2.51% APY. At all these intervals, you are ahead of nearly all the top rates from other banks and credit unions.

If you don’t qualify directly, anyone can join the credit union by first joining the American Consumer Council for $8. Try the promo code consumer and you should be able to save that five bucks. After that, join AFCU online, and deposit the minimum $5 to open a share account. After your share account is open, you can try to open the promotional CDs online. Alternatively, you may need to call them up directly and expedite things. Make sure you fund it by the deadline.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/andrews-federal-credit-union-certificiate-deal.html/feed1448252Uber American Express Promotion: 2 Free Rides From Airport (up to $65 each)http://www.mymoneyblog.com/uber-american-express-promotion.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/uber-american-express-promotion.html#respondMon, 21 Nov 2016 08:40:14 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48227 Just in time for the holiday travel season! Uber and American Express are running a new promotion for 2 free Uber rides from an eligible airport up to $65 each. This promotion is valid for both new and existing users.

Enter code AMEXAIRPORT in your Uber app under Promotions or Payment.

Be sure that an American Express card is linked to your Uber account and selected as your payment method for the ride. (Prepaid cards not eligible.)

Good for two rides, up to $65 each. Any amount over $65 will be charged to your American Express. Valid on all Uber options.

Your ride must originate from one of the eligible airports listed below.

You must complete your trip by 11:59pm on 12/31/16.

Hera are the eligible airports:

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

McCarran International Airport (LAS)

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

If you don’t have an Uber account yet, you can get $20 off your first ride via this special link or by using promo code uberMYMONEYBLOG at signup. But remember – Uber promo codes cannot be combined or stacked. When you enter multiple promotion codes in the Uber app, the most recently entered code that is eligible for the ride will be applied to that ride. Once you have added a promotion code to your Uber app, you cannot delete it.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/uber-american-express-promotion.html/feed048227FreeCreditReport.com Review: Free Experian Credit Report Every Month, No Credit Card Requiredhttp://www.mymoneyblog.com/freecreditreport-com-review-experian.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/freecreditreport-com-review-experian.html#commentsThu, 17 Nov 2016 21:00:31 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48197Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, has bought the domain FreeCreditReport.com and converted it to a place where consumers can view their Experian Credit Report for free. There is no credit card required, no trial membership required. Like most of its competitors, “free” does mean that you’ll see advertisements and offers for paid premium features. Checking your own credit will not hurt your credit scores.

All things equal, why not get your credit reports “straight from the source”? If I get my Experian data directly from Experian, that means one less third-party that may have access to my personal information. (I admit, I do sign up for a lot of such sites anyway, and I signed up for this one as well.) Here’s a screenshot (click to enlarge):

Sign-up process. You will need to provide your personal information like name, address, birthdate, and Social Security Number. You’ll also need to verify your identity by answering some multiple-choice questions based on your credit report data.

I’m okay with some unobtrusive ads and upsells in exchange for free monthly credit reports. I have not tried any of their paid premium features. I did notice that when you sign up, it is not mandatory to sign up for their special offers. You can still proceed even if you uncheck the box.

How can I refresh my report? You can refresh your Experian credit report as often as every 30 days, but only if you log in to the website. Many sites operate this way, as it reduces their costs of grabbing your score if you are no longer interested. Also, they want you to log in so that they can show you advertisements.

Bottom line.FreeCreditReport.com is legit, owned by Experian, and offers free access to your Experian credit report. Experian already has all your information anyway. Being able to get an updated report every 30 days is 12 times as often as what you’d get from the government-mandated site AnnualCreditReport.com (updated every rolling 365 days). No credit card required in either case.

See also: Get a free copy of your TransUnion credit report (another of the three major credit bureaus) through the TransUnion-owned site called TrueIdentity.

]]>http://www.mymoneyblog.com/freecreditreport-com-review-experian.html/feed248197Amazon Prime $20 Off Grand Tour Promotion (11/18 Only!)http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-prime-grand-tour-promotion.html
http://www.mymoneyblog.com/amazon-prime-grand-tour-promotion.html#respondThu, 17 Nov 2016 20:43:10 +0000http://www.mymoneyblog.com/?p=48210If you’ve been in withdrawal from “proper” Top Gear, the new Amazon series The Grand Tour premiers on Friday, November 18th (press release). The three original stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have gotten back together and there are 12 new episodes that will stream weekly.

For one-day only, eligible new Prime members can join Amazon Prime for $79 (normally $99) and save $20 on your first year’s membership in celebration of The Grand Tour launch.

The promotion does not apply to existing or gift memberships. I’m not 100% positive on this, but I believe that a “new” membership simply means that your account must not currently have an active Amazon Prime membership, not that you’ve never had one in the past.